So today, after a hard day's work in my pajamas (such is the writer's life!), I had to go mail a package to New York. I put on real clothes, drove to Mail & Stuff to mail my package (can't say enough about that place, they get all my business). I then thought I might go to DSW to buy myself a new pair of shoes, for there is a check forthcoming, and I do not believe in delayed gratification.

But then I thought - hey. Geische's is right here, and I haven't been there in a long time, and isn't it my civic duty to spend my money here in Glen Ellyn? (Even if I can usually get the same pair of shoes for $20 cheaper at DSW.) So I went in to Geische's, and found, to my horror, that it was only 8 minutes until closing time.

I had forgotten they close at the ungodly hour of 5:30 PM on weekdays. But I thought, "Why, they'll be so appreciative of my $$, it won't be a problem!" Also, I noticed a couple of mothers with several children in tow had come in right when I did. So I figured everything was OK.

I started to browse, and I could see I was going to have a hard time convincing myself to spend the money when I knew I could get things cheaper elsewhere, but I was determined to take the time to make that argument, when precisely at 5:30, the Muzak was switched off, and I heard a salesman tell one of the kids, who was trying to find a new pair of shoes for school, to "Hurry it up, young man. We're closing."

Well.

Local or not, I huffed out of there and took myself to Oak Brook, to DSW, to spend my hard-earned (in my pajamas) writer money that I haven't actually received yet.

Now I ask you - how is any business that doesn't discount and is open at inconvenient hours going to survive this economy? I would think that customer service would be the focus, the only thing they might have going for them.

But in Geische's case, not so much.

I haz a sad for Glen Ellyn. (LOLCats reference, for those who don't know.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: scribbler,

I have to post my own experience - My 5-year old had a pair of new sandals stolen while swimming at the Y. I went back to Giesche Shoes, and although the sandals we had purchased the month before were no longer on sale, the salesman (I think his name was Gary...) not only gave us the old discounted sale price on a new pair, but he also shipped in the size we required from their other store, and when I was running late trying to pick up the pair that they had shipped in, he stayed late so that I could pick them up (we were going on vacation that evening...). I have only good things to say about Giesche, which is why we buy most of our shoes locally.

I think you might have had an anomalous experience...

William

That's the problem, the businesses in this town don't stay open long enough to get in to after a hard days work - even if that work is done in PJ's

quote:

Originally posted by ronkas:
I would appreciate if they would salt their sidewalks before I slip and fall.

It's July 28, 2009. Who salts their sidewalk in July?

This subject comes up every year or so on the board.

Don't you think, if it was profitable a reasonable business person would stay open later?

Would any of you want to stay late at work if your were losing money to do so?!

If those sandals belonged to WS, surely you were exposed to more than rabbies

All I know is I get off the train daily between 6:00 and 6:30 pm - and end up shopping at Danada or Rice Square since nothing's open in downtown GE in the evening on a daily basis (and staying open late only on Thursday's probably went out with the buggy whip). Geez, the library has better hours, since they're now open Sunday afternoons.

I've shopped at Giesche's, and like them - but I do like being able to shop when I want to. I guess yay for the merchants along Roosevelt Road - thank goodness Trader Joe's manages to stay open til 9:00 daily.

Don't shop much at Geische. Can't recall last time I was in there. No good reason other than I rarely buy anything but running shoes that I don't run in. But they do carry Alden shoes for men. Best shoes ever made. At one time....and correct me if I am wrong...I swear they had signs all over the shelves begging parents to not let their children touch the shoes. They are no longer there...if they were ever there at all. The people always seemed welcoming when I was there...unlike those signs.

What I could never figure out from a standpoint of doing biz in the CBD was this. Why open M-F at 10 A.M. and close at 5 or 6 PM? Who is shopping on Tuesday mornings at 10 AM? If'n I owned a store, I'd be closed Monday and Tuesday and I'd open at 11 AM and close at 7ish. And I would be open on the weekends.

Also, the is zero excuse for being so rigid and unlocking your door at 10 A.M. because the hours on the door dictate that. When I worked at Mark Shale in Oak Brook, people would gather outside the door at 9:45....9:50....whatever. When someone was outside, we'd open the door. I never bought people who said insurance requirements didn't allow them to open early. I call BS on that one. On the flipside...we never went home until the customer was ready to leave. Of course, we were working on 100% commission...so we were more than willing to stay...unlike, say, a hourly wage employee.

If you try hard enough in this or any other environment, you really can go out of business.

quote:

Originally posted by Nika:
Dang, I swear those sandals looked just like mine when I took them. Sorry, WS. Must have been the rabies.

Easy mistake - especially if you wear a boys' size 1...

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:
...When I worked at Mark Shale in Oak Brook...

Wow. You have unsuspected depth. Laugh if you will, but I got my start working at Redwood and Ross...

BTW, did you know that the Cordovan leather for Alden shoes is made in ol' corrupt Chicago? By Horween leather at Armitage and Elston, and is credited as perhaps the best cordovan leather in the world? "Founded in 1905 Horween is the last producer of genuine shell cordovan in North America..."

(Too bad about the Mark Shale Outlet closing, though...)

What I found most appalling is the fact that there were 3-4 groups of paying customers in the store - and they still decided to make sure we did not linger. So there was business to be made - at least from me - if they'd only given me the time to decide on a purchase. That's money in the hand that they decided, evidently, they didn't need.

Must be nice!

quote:

If'n I owned a store, I'd be closed Monday and Tuesday and I'd open at 11 AM and close at 7ish. And I would be open on the weekends.

This.

It's not's rocket science.

They have the coolest sign in the western suburbs. Coolest building in GE.

I needed a shoe sizer for a photo shoot I was doing. I called them and they happily gave me one, then asked if they could see the photographs when I was done. They were very friendly. Their orange SALE stickers on the windows are extremely cool.

My wife loves browsing the sale department upstairs and likes the place as a whole.

Keen shoes there are about the same price as Dick's or whatever. If Dick's is a little cheaper, you still save $$$ in gas driving to Dick's or DSW (who do not carry Keen or Merrell).

Scribbler, I agree with you! I buy all my shoes at Zappos.

quote:

They have the coolest sign in the western suburbs. Coolest building in GE.

Could not agree more. Would make an awesome venue for a restaurant.

quote:

BTW, did you know that the Cordovan leather for Alden shoes is made in ol' corrupt Chicago?

I did know that. I have three pair of Alden shell cordovan shoes. All older than most of the guys that I work with. The best day ever was when the shoe buyer at Shale couldn't sell the loafers at whatever ungodly price they were in 1984 or 85 and offered them to the salesmen at $50 a pair. Snapped those up tout de suite. Just looked...selling for $600 a pair each. But you will only buy them once.

quote:

Originally posted by Clamato:

quote:

They have the coolest sign in the western suburbs. Coolest building in GE.

Could not agree more. Would make an awesome venue for a restaurant.

I always thought it would be a great art museum. Stinkin' Elmhurst has one. Why can't we? Come to think of it, it would make a nice crib for me. Or a Montessori school.